Eleven Years After the War
by Percabethforev16
Summary: Teddy Lupin was born in the midst of bloodshed. So, naturally, his first year at Hogwarts is eleven years after the war. See through his eyes his first train ride to Hogwarts and his anxieties about the sorting. I know one character in this is inaccurate, so don't hate me for it! Oneshot.


**A/N: Hello, Readers! Just a short little Oneshot I thought up. Actually, I had to do a narrative for school, so I chose this and decided to post for your guys' pleasure! Happy Reading! R&R! Enjoy!**

My parents were heroes. That's what everyone tells me. But all I can remember is my mum's pink hair and my dad's brown eyes. They died in the Battle of Hogwarts, defending the school. Harry, my godfather, tells me my father was sorry, that he and my mother didn't want to leave me, but they wanted to fight. I've lived with my gran since then, but I get to see Harry and his wife Ginny a lot. And Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione.

The sky is overcast and cloudy as we drive through London to King's Cross Station. It's my first time in London, but it doesn't seem like much to look at. Muggle buildings, muggle cars, muggle everything. Still, my mind is buzzing with excitement. I look at the adults around me in the taxi. Harry, Ginny, Gran, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione sit around me. I'm one of the first kids they've been around since the second war, so I guess they all want to see me off.

We pull into the train station and unload the car. It's just my trunk and owl, Saph, so soon enough the taxi speeds off onto the muggle streets again. Gran watches it go and tShen squeezes my hand.

"Ready, sweetie?" she asks. I nod, not even brushing off the juvenile nick name and childish gesture. There're too many things going on in my mind.

"Come on, Teddy. It's almost eleven. Don't want to miss the train," Harry says. Aunt Hermione rolls her eyes at Uncle Ron's grin.

"Yeah, coming," I say. I follow them to platform 10, jostled a bit by the impatient muggles waiting for their train. The mist drifting across the platform does little to calm the butterflies swirling in my stomach, but it does help hide my hair which has chosen to turn a deep gray.

"You alright, Ted?" Uncle Ron asks when we've passed through onto platform 9 ¾. "You've barely talked at all this morning."

"Just nervous, that's all," I admit.

"Why are you nervous, you've got nothing to be afraid of," Ginny says.

"Not that kind of nervous, I'm not _scared_ or anything. It's just, I haven't got a clue what kids my age like. I've never gone to Muggle School or anything, so I don't know how to socialize. What if I can't make any friends?" I ask.

"You'll be fine, Teddy," Aunt Hermione reassures me. "Your house is like your family. You're bound to make some friends."

"But what if I don't like my house?" I ask. This was another agonizingly important part of school, you had to fit in with your house or you wouldn't get anywhere.

"The sorting hat always makes the right decisions, Teddy. It knows you better than you know yourself. It'll put you in the right place," Uncle Ron says.

"I know, but what if it puts me in something really horrid, like Hufflepuff?" I ask. Uncle Ron and Harry laugh really hard at this. Ginny whacks both their arms.

"Teddy, sweetie." Gran says. "Your house is where you fit in best. No matter where you go, it's where you belong, remember that."

"Thanks, Gran," I say, not at all reassured by her words. For all I knew, I could be the first kid the sorting hat put in the wrong house. Or, even worse, I'll be the only one who doesn't fit in a house and I'll have to live with the House Elves. "Bye," I say, dashing into the nearest compartment. Once I've put my trunk and Saph away, I lean out the window and wave to the five of them.

"Don't get into any trouble with Filch, and watch out for Peeves!" Gran calls. "Write every week!"

"I will!" I shout back.

"Say hello to Professor Longbottom for us!" Ginny says.

"Okay! See you at Christmas!" I shout as the scarlet Hogwarts Express pulls away from the station.

I close the window and plunk back onto the plush seats of the compartment. I wonder what I'll do for the rest of the train ride, Uncle Ron told me it was pretty long, but I don't think I can keep myself entertained alone.

"Excuse me? Uh, mind if I sit with you. Everywhere else's full," a boy asks. He's slid open my compartment door to ask, but he seems really shy. He has light brown skin and curly black hair.

"Uh, sure," I say, not wanting to be rude. He smiles gratefully and enters the compartment.

"I'm William Thomas, but that name's rubbish if you ask me. Call me Will. And you are?" the boy says.

"Ted Lupin, but call me Teddy, 'cause I think my name's rubbish, too," I say. Will grins and sits down.

"Nice to meet you, Teddy. You a first year too?" Will's tone is worried, so I say yes and his grin widens. "Fantastic! My mum was worried I wouldn't make any friends in my year. Say, what house do you think you'll be in? I want to be in Ravenclaw, my dad says that's where all the smart people go."

My palms start sweating at the thought of houses. "I don't really know what I'll get into. Practically everyone I know has been in Gryffindor." I look down, hoping he'll change the subject.

"Both your parents, too?" Will asks.

"Well, I never really knew my parents. They died in the war, a little after I was born, same as my granddad. But my godparents have both been in Gryffindor. Don't know about my Gran, though. She doesn't like talking about it," I say. Will looks at me with sympathy.

"I'm really sorry, 'bout your mum and dad, I mean. But think of the opportunity this presents. People will start comparing you to the Chosen One, Harry Potter. He lost his parents too, you know," Will says. He has this maniacal look in his eye.

"Maybe, but, you see Harry Potter's my godfather. I don't really care if they compare me to him," I say, wincing as Will's jaw drops open.

"That's crazy! My dad knew him too, when they were at Hogwarts," Will says. His eyes are lit up. "Did I mention that? I could've sworn I did two seconds ago. Oh well, must've been my imagination. Anyway, that's really cool."

I start to smile; Will's begun to cheer me up. "Who's your dad, Will?"

"Oh, yeah. My dad's Dean Thomas. He was muggleborn, but my mum was half-blood. Figured they'd just call me a half-blood, too, since apparently the wizarding world didn't recognize the term three-quarter- blood," Will says, grinning again.

We talk like this for a while, back and forth about our lives. I tell him about my Gran, Andromeda Tonks, who used to be part of the Black family until they disowned her for marrying my granddad. I nearly give Will a heart attack when my hair turns a bright shade of turquoise. Laughing, I explain how my mum was a metamorphagus. We're interrupted when a woman knocks on the door of our compartment.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" she asks. I see the cart stocked with wizard candy and leap up.

"Um, two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, three licorice wands, and a Chocolate Frog, please," I say. Will buys exactly five boxes of the jelly beans and six cauldron cakes.

We exchange beans, cringing when something disgusting turns up, like vomit. Will gets sour milk on his first try. Laughing, I tear open the Chocolate Frog package. The sweet jumps out, but I manage to catch it before it can get away. It wriggles so desperately, I decide to let it have its wish of freedom. I open my hands, and it springs out of the compartment and down the corridor.

"Never liked the experience of biting the heads off," Will says and shudders. "One time, my cousin stuck one in my mouth. It was bloody disgusting, having it wriggle around in my mouth. Never eaten one since."

"Yeah, I always like the cards better. But mostly, we don't really get them. My Gran hates when they escape and end up growing mold and hiding in a cupboard," I say. I look at the card and almost drop it.

There's a man with shabby brown hair and kind brown eyes. He looks weary, but happy with his arm around the woman in the photo with him. She has bright eyes and isn't as beaten down as the man. What stands out the most is her bright pink hair. At the bottom of the card it says Remus and Nymphadora Lupin.

"So, who'd you get?" Will asks. I forgot he was there.

"Mum?" I whisper. "Dad?" They nod and my mum smiles.

"Wotcha, Teddy," she says. My dad looks sad, but he's smiling.

I look up at Will. "It's my parents," I say.

"Your parents? Oh, that's right. All the people who died in the Battle of Hogwarts were put onto Chocolate Frog cards. I got Fred Weasly a few years back," Will says. I look back to the card, but they're gone. Probably off to some other pictures of themselves.

A while later, a voice tells we'll be arriving in five minutes. Will and I change into our robes just before the train stops. We walk off together. There's a huge mass of a man standing by the exit to the train.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over 'ere!" he yells in a deep voice. Will and I are so shocked, we don't even move. It's a little while before I recognize the giant as Hagrid and prod Will forward.

Hagrid leads us and about thirty five other eleven year olds to a lake. "It's four to a boat," he says and gets into one on his own. Will and I end up by ourselves, too since there are ten boats lined up on the shore.

We glide across the lake, the boats moving by themselves. The stars shimmer in the black sky above us and it's hard to see anything besides Hagrid and his lantern, leading the fleet of boats. We round a bend and something is glowing up ahead. I've heard harry and Ginny describe Hogwarts before, but nothing has prepared me for the brilliant castle looming above the water. Three towers shoot into the sky and the windows are ablaze with light. We reach the shore, and I'm still staring in awe at the stone work. A lot of it has scorch marks from the Battle of Hogwarts eleven years ago, but it's still amazing. We all drift across to the stone doors of the castle, all of us in a daze. They open and reveal what I assume is the entrance hall. A woman is waiting there, wearing green robes and a pointed hat, glasses resting on her nose.

"Hello, children. You are about to be sorted into your house. Know that your house is like your family, your dormitory where you will sleep each night and your common room where most elect to spend their free time. Remember points will be awarded to a house for any excelling behavior, and points can be taken away for misguided behavior. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the house cup. Now, follow me." She pushes open the heavy oak doors and what lies beyond is even more beautiful than the entrance hall. The room seems to open up into the night air, the ceiling charmed to look like the outside. Candles float in mid-air and there are four tables, each decorated with a pair of colors. Gold and scarlet, black and yellow, blue and gold, and green and silver.

I step forward with confidence, each foot that hits the ground reminding me that this is where I belong. And Will's gleeful expression telling me I am not alone. I will never be alone again.


End file.
